


Where You Lead, I Will Follow

by spockothyprime



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, F/M, Family Feels, Found Family, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Parenthood, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-14
Updated: 2018-07-18
Packaged: 2019-06-10 03:32:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15282660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spockothyprime/pseuds/spockothyprime
Summary: The sleepy town of Samwell, population 9,973, was just going to bed for the night. Stars twinkled in the night sky as couples walked through the town square. Music could be heard filtering out of the Birkholtz Dance Studio, most likely rehearsals for the upcoming Fall Festival. And a lone car drove down Main Street, sporting a New York license plate and carrying the biggest shakeup the town would experience for years.A Gilmore Girls AU. Updates on Tuesdays and Fridays.





	1. Chapter 1

The sleepy town of Samwell, population 9,973, was just going to bed for the night. Stars twinkled in the night sky as couples walked through the town square. Music could be heard filtering out of the Birkholtz Dance Studio, most likely rehearsals for the upcoming Fall Festival. And a lone car drove down Main Street, sporting a New York license plate and carrying the biggest shakeup the town would experience for years.

Derek Nurse looked around the small town, searching for a gas station. He glanced in his rearview mirror, at the carseat carrying his precious baby girl. Mia was sleeping soundly, for the first time since Derek had started driving. He cursed quietly as he couldn’t find a gas station, his car was running on fumes. He pulled over and took a deep breath, doing his very best not to panic. He didn’t know what he was doing. What was he thinking, pulling Mia away from the security that his parents’ Brooklyn brownstone provided? He leaned forward and rested his forehead against the steering wheel. In and out, in and out, until the world stopped spinning and panic faded away to a gentle buzz in the back of his head. He sat up after another few seconds and looked around. In front of him was a gazebo and a sign, he squinted slightly to read it.

**SAMWELL**

**FOUNDED 1779**

Well, that at least let Derek know where he was. His eyes wandered and he saw a market to his right, Zimmermann’s, which looked closed. He looked forward a little more, eyes lighting up as he saw a diner. That meant food, a place where he could feed Mia, and ask where the closest gas station was. He climbed out of the car, going around to gently lift Mia’s car seat out. Even the slight jostle of that woke Mia up and Derek winced as she started screaming. He grabbed the diaper bag and made his way towards the diner, feeling a strange sense of hope for the first time in ages.

 

~~~

 

Will Poindexter was exhausted. The diner had been crowded that day, lot of people coming in and out to get something hot to drink as cold weather began to settle over the town. He’d just gotten the last stragglers out, a few kids from the Samwell High basketball team. He wiped down their table and began to lift chairs up on top of the tables, wondering not for the first time how his dad managed to do this for thirty years. Will had just taken over the business a year previously and by all accounts he was doing well, as far as finances went. But it was hard work, made more difficult by the fact that his siblings were scattered across the Northeastern seaboard. Family was important when Will was growing up, but not important enough for his siblings to come back and help when his dad got sick. Or when his dad died, leaving his middle son with the task of managing his business just after his twentieth birthday. He went behind the counter and to the kitchen to grab a broom, groaning as he heard the bell above the door jingle to let him know someone had walked in. Of course he forgot to lock the door and flip the sign. “Hey, we’re actually clos-” He stopped as he saw who had walked in, tilting his head to the side. It was a man, who looked to be around Will’s age. He was...well, he was gorgeous. Definitely the most beautiful person Will had ever seen. But he also looked like a mess. His hair was sticking up in all different directions and Will was pretty sure he had spit up on his shoulder. Which made sense, considering the screaming baby he was carrying.

“Hi. I just...I need….” The man paused, looking near tears. 

Will snapped out of his stupor and stepped around the counter, lifting two chairs off one of the tables and gently guiding the man to sit down. “Hey, it’s alright. What can I get you?”

“I...coffee. Please.” The man replied, going to lift the baby out of the carrier. “And whole milk, if you have it. That should help her go to sleep.”

Will nodded. “What’s your name?” He asked, going behind the counter. 

“Derek.” The man said, tilting his head up slightly. “I’m new in town.”

It wasn’t until twenty minutes later, when Will was cradling a now sleeping baby in his arms with Derek nearly asleep over his coffee cup and the piece of pie that Will had retrieved for him, that Will realized how screwed he was.

 

_ Sixteen years later _

 

The sleepy town of Samwell, population 9,975, was just waking up for the day. The sun shone down as parents walked their children to school. Music could be heard filtering out of the Birkholtz Dance Studio as Adam Birkholtz led a group of elderly women through morning pilates. And a lone figure strode down Main Street, bundled up in a tan coat and dark green beanie. He stepped into Will’s Diner with a sense of purpose, going straight for the counter. “William, I need coffee.” He greeted, with no preamble.

“How many cups have you had?” Will replied, not looking up from where he was taking a man’s order. 

“None.” Derek squirmed a little under Will’s gaze. “Alright, two, but yours is better.”

“You have a problem.” Will grabbed a mug from beneath the counter and filled it up, handing it over to Derek.

“Thanks, angel.” Derek winked at Will then took his coffee cup and settled into his usual table by the window, digging his book out of his bag. He closed it after a moment, instead watching the town square with a small smile on his face. The town was bustling with activity, as much as Samwell did bustle. He could see Bitty’s Bakery across the street, people sitting at the outside tables with croissants and cups of coffee. Connected to it was his own place of work, Samwell Books, where Derek could see the open sign had already been flipped. Lardo must have arrived ahead of him. On the other side of the bakery, Bob Zimmermann stood on the street in front of his market, offering free samples of something that Derek couldn’t quite make out and chatting with the locals. Further down the street in the square Derek could see Jack, Bob’s son, overseeing the decorations that were being put up for the upcoming Fall Festival. And then he could see his daughter, jogging towards the diner in her school uniform. Derek’s smile widened as Mia ran into the diner and dropped into the seat across from Derek. 

“Hi, Baba. Sorry I’m late, I couldn’t find my French book and then I realized it had been in my backpack the whole time.” Mia explained, dropping said backpack onto the floor. “My bus will be here in a few minutes.”

Will walked over to their table and set a glass of orange juice down in front of Mia. “What’ll you have?”

Mia looked at the orange juice, then up at Will. “Coffee, please?”

“No. Your dad, he’s too far gone for me to save. You still have a chance.” Will pulled out his pencil that was tucked behind his ear to take their order. 

“No, it’s too late for her too. I’ve corrupted her.” Derek grinned. “We’ll take a couple donuts and two cups of coffee to go, hold the guilt trip please.”

Will rolled his eyes and walked off, returning a few moments later with a bag and their coffee, setting both down in front of them. “You know it’s a miracle that your dad’s still alive, right?”

Mia nodded. “I know. He told me not to tell you, but he fell down the stairs and broke the banister this morning.”

Derek nearly spit his coffee out. He coughed and wiped his face, glaring across the table at Mia. “Traitor!” 

Will sighed. “I’ll come by this weekend to fix it, try not to break anything else until then. Drink your juice.” He went off to tend to his other customers, leaving behind a giggling Mia and an embarrassed Derek.

Derek finished up his cup of coffee and got to his feet, leaving several dollars on the table. “Let’s go, kid. If you miss the bus, I’m not driving you.” He draped his arm around Mia’s shoulders and led her out of the diner. “Any big plans for tonight?”

“Not really, I might hang out with Ford. And Mom said she might call, so...we’ll see.” Mia shrugged but Derek could see the hope in her expression. He tightened his arm a little around Mia’s shoulders and pressed a kiss to her hair as the bus pulled up. 

“Alright, sweetheart. Have a good day.” Derek smiled as Mia dug her donut out of the bag then dashed onto the bus that would take her into Boston for school, before continuing on to work. He walked into Samwell Books and took a deep breath, setting his things behind the counter before going to find Lardo.

“Lardo?” Derek called out, walking back towards the stairs. He smiled as he heard a bang and cursing, going up the stairs towards what had once been his apartment and was now overstock storage and Lardo’s studio. “What are you working on?”

Lardo looked up from her sculpture, a mass of wire and fabric. “Oh, hey. That new shipment of nonfiction came in today, I signed for it, it’s in the back. And Eric wants you to come see him when you get a chance.” She looked at the sculpture, sighing in frustration. “It’s for Adam’s stupid routine for the festival. He wanted a tree that the kids could dance around.”

Derek nodded. “Well, keep at it. I’ll let you know if I need you.” He turned and headed down the stairs, knowing better than to keep Lardo for long if she was in the middle of a project. He retrieved the box of books from the back and took his time as he shelved them, pausing when customers came in to help them or ring them up at the counter. The mornings were the quiet part of the day, not that there was a ever a huge rush. At around lunchtime, he called down to Lardo to come man the counter before he went over to Bitty’s Bakery, using the back entrance that connected their two businesses. 

“Derek!” Chris greeted him happily, just as he was pulling a tray of muffins out of the oven. “Eric’s at the counter right now, it’s really busy! He’ll be back here in a minute.”

Derek nodded, giving his friend and Eric’s assistant an easy smile. “No worries, I can wait.” He leaned back against the counter and stole a scone from one of the cooling racks to snack on while he waited.

It was several minutes later that Eric came back, apron smeared with flour and a smile on his face. “Hey, Der! Chris said you were here.” He began to pull out ingredients, Derek was pretty sure that Eric never stood still to have a conversation. “I just wanted to talk to you about Mia’s party, I didn’t want her to overhear. Now, I was thinking I could make that chocolate cake she loves and maybe some cupcakes to go along with it? And then ice cream, of course, is her favorite flavor still strawberry?”

Derek smiled. Mia’s sixteenth birthday was coming up and the whole town was working together to throw her a surprise birthday bash. “Yeah. that sounds great. She loves strawberry, but you really don’t have to make the ice cream. I can just grab some from the market.”

Eric fixed him with a look and sighed. “Honey, that girl’s been eating my ice cream since the day I moved here. I’m not having her eat store bought on her sixteenth birthday.”

“Alright, alright. Thank you, Eric.” Derek shook his head fondly. “So, the party’s Friday and Ford’s going to have her out of the house all afternoon once she’s done with school. That’ll give us time to set up for when she gets home at seven.”

Eric nodded happily. “Oh, and I-” He stopped dead as a voice sounded from the front, asking if Eric was there. “I should go check on that!” He darted out of the kitchen, nearly dropping his bowl in the process. Derek grinned and followed hot on his heels, knowing only one person could make Eric abandon his baking like that. 

Jack Zimmermann stood there, holding a stack of flyers and looking awkward as ever. Derek didn’t miss the way his expression brightened slightly as Eric appeared and he stopped next to Chris, doing his best not to laugh.

“Hi, Jack! What can I get you?” Eric was positively beaming, leaning forward against the counter to stare up at Jack.

Jack smiled a bit. “Um...Papa wanted me to double check with you that you’ve got everything you need for your booth. For the festival.”

Eric nodded. “Yeah, of course. I’ll be all set, don’t you worry. Do you want me to hang up a flyer?” He took one as Jack nodded and turned to pin it on the bulletin board behind him. “Here, let me send some of those maple cookies home with you. I’ll get a box for you and your parents.” He grabbed two containers and filled them with cookies, passing them both to Jack. “I’ll see you at the festival?”

Jack nodded, his cheeks slightly pink. “Yeah, of course.” He dug his wallet out and pressed some money into Eric’s palm over Eric’s objections. “Merci, Eric.” He turned and walked out of the bakery. Once the door was shut behind him, Derek and Chris dissolved into giggles.

Eric turned and glared at both of them, face red. “Chris, we need more maple cookies.” He walked back to the kitchen, Derek and Chris following close behind. 

“Yeah you do, because you just gave them all away to Jack Zimmermann.” Derek teased, leaning against the counter as Eric continued with his project from before while Chris started on the cookies. “Was that his first time in today?”

“Nope!” Chris shook his head. “Second, he was in early this morning for coffee after his run.”

“I’d put money on him coming in at least two more times before the day’s over.” Derek winked at Eric.

“Oh, you would? And how many times do you plan on going to Will’s today?” Eric asked innocently.

Derek’s face felt hot and he looked away. “Not this again.”

“Just saying, you seem to go over there an awful lot.”

Derek sighed. This was an old argument, one he’d had with seemingly every person in town. “I like his coffee.”

“Honey, if it was just for coffee you’d go to the place that’s right next door.” Eric flicked a dish towel at him. “I can’t blame you, he’s handsome.”

Derek shook his head. “No, he’s Will. I mean, he’s not ugly but...you know what, I’m going back to work.” He walked away, ignoring the laughter behind him as he went back into the bookstore.

  
“Hey, there’s a message for you from your mom.” Lardo greeted him, not looking up from her sketchbook.

Derek froze, glancing down at the phone. “My mom?”

“Yeah, she just wants you to call her.” Lardo jumped lightly to her feet. “Do you still need me or can I go back upstairs? I think I hit a breakthrough on the stupid tree.”

“Uh...yeah. Go ahead and go back upstairs.” Derek kept his eyes on the phone, waiting until Lardo was gone to pick it up. He dialed the familiar number with shaking fingers, holding the phone up to his ear as it rang.

 

~~~

 

“Does Eric have any of those double chocolate cookies left? I need them to get through this studying.” Mia dropped his bag off at the bookstore counter as she walked in, just off the bus from school. “Baba?”

Derek looked up and blinked. “Oh. Sorry, um, you’ll have to go ask him. He did say he wanted you to stop by after school.” He smiled at Mia, though it faded the second Mia was out of sight. Mia returned from the bakery with a few cookies in her hand and settled down on one of the couches to do her work. Derek stared at her for a while before going around to start organizing the new releases shelf. “So...Friday. Your...your grandmothers are in town and want to have dinner for your birthday.” 

Mia looked up, a bit of cookie dangling out of her mouth. She chewed it quickly and swallowed it. “They want to have dinner? We’ve never spent my birthday with them.”

“I know, bub. But Abuelita has business in Boston so they’re both going to fly in for the weekend. We’re going to drive up and meet them for dinner.” Derek replied, keeping his tone neutral. “Don’t worry, we’ll still party it up the two of us on Saturday.”

Mia nodded. “Alright, Baba. It’s just...it’s weird, you know?”

Derek took a deep breath and smiled, going over to press a kiss to the top of Mia’s head. “You think too much, bub. They love you and they want to spend time with you.” He ruffled Mia’s hair. “Now, keep working on your homework. Anything I can help with?” 

“No. Once I’m done, is it okay if I go hang out with Ford? Then we can meet at Will’s for dinner.”

Derek nodded a bit. The evening went by quickly, Mia going to hang out with her friend after another hour and leaving Derek alone in the shop. He closed up once six rolled around and made his way across the street to the diner, dropping down into one of the empty tables.   
“You look happy.” A sarcastic voice said from above him and Derek looked up, a retort ready. It died in his throat when saw the sight in front of him. Will was...different. Gone were his usual flannel and jeans, replaced instead by a pair of black dress pants and a light blue collared shirt that hugged Will’s broad shoulders nicely. His baseball cap was gone and his red hair was combed, he’d even shaved away the little bit of stubble he usually had by this time of day.

Derek swallowed hard. “Um...what’s with the getup?” He asked, trying to go for a teasing tone and failing.

Will blushed. “Oh. Uh, I had a meeting at the bank earlier. They like collars.” He smiled and gestured to the collar of his shirt.

“Well, you look nice. Really nice.” Derek said honestly, shifting a little in his seat. 

Will’s blush spread to his ears and he nodded. “Thanks. Uh, you look nice too.” The two of them looked up as Mia dropped into the seat across from Derek and Will coughed. “What’ll you two have?”

“Coffee for me and burgers?” Derek looked across the table to Mia, who nodded, looking between her dad and Will with an amused expression.

“What did I just walk in on?” Mia asked once Will walked away, raising an eyebrow at Derek.

“Oh, nothing. Just...he looks different.” Derek shrugged.

“I know. Almost like date material.”

Derek sighed. “Not you too. Kid, you’re supposed to be on my side.”

“Baba, I’m just saying. It’s been a long time since you were on a date.” Mia shrugged. 

  
“Hey, enough. Don’t worry about that.” Derek wrinkled his nose at Mia. “So, how was school?”

“Good! I got an A on that Shakespeare paper, so I’m pretty happy about it. Ford filled me in on all the Samwell High gossip, so that was fun.” Mia pulled her paper out and handed it over to Derek.

Derek smiled. He knew that it had been a hard adjustment, going from Samwell High to Andover, but he also knew it was for the best. Mia was challenged more at Andover and it would be better preparation for her future, plus she still got to see Ford and her other friends in town when she wasn’t at school. “Good job, bub. I’m proud of you.” He skimmed over Mia’s paper, smiling at the teacher’s comments. “This is really good, definitely Yale material.” He winked at Mia and handed her paper back across the table. Derek’s worries from the day faded away as Mia chattered on about her friends at her old school and how they were doing. The ball of anxiety that had been sitting in his stomach since the phone call with his moms faded and he laughed along with his daughter’s stories. 

“Red meat can kill you. Enjoy.” Will told them as he deposited their plates at the table. Derek stuck his tongue out at Will and watched as he walked away, eyes drifting down to his ass. He looked back at the table as he heard a cough and found Mia smirking at him. 

  
“Just saying, date material.” Mia dodged as Derek threw a fry at her and laughed.

Derek chose to ignore his daughter and instead focused on his food. He couldn’t help but sneak another glance at Will once Mia seemed distracted. Will was talking to a customer, taking their order. Their eyes met when Will looked up and Derek smiled at him, feeling just a little shy. Will’s cheeks turned red and he smiled back before turning to go to the kitchen. Derek had to admit, Mia was right. Will certainly did look like date material. He pushed the thought aside and refocused on his daughter. Because of that, Derek didn’t notice the way that Will looked at him once he returned to the counter, his expression much softer than it ever got with anyone else. 

 


	2. Chapter 2

Derek rolled out of bed early on the morning of Mia’s sixteenth birthday, at exactly five thirty just like he did every year. He walked downstairs and started a pot of coffee before going to his daughter’s bedroom. He took a few moments to watch his baby, almost grown now, sleep. His heart was doing something funny in his chest and he swallowed down the lump in his throat before peeling back the covers to join his daughter in bed. He checked the time. 5:32 exactly. He smiled and brushed his fingers through Mia’s hair. “Bub, wake up. It’s your birthday.” He murmured, turning on his side so he could face Mia.

Mia grumbled and and opened her eyes. “ Is it morning already?” She asked, voice thick with sleep. 

Derek nodded. “Yeah. And you know what that means.”

“Baba, you tell this story every year.” Mia protested weakly, but curled closer to Derek.

“It’s my right, as your father.” Derek wrapped his arm around Mia and laughed slightly. “At this time, sixteen years ago, my entire life changed. Your mom and I were eating breakfast when she felt her water break. The entire wait staff was terrified. So was I, to be completely honest. I rushed her to the hospital, like the gentleman I am. And then...nothing happened. We waited hours and hours, but you just weren’t ready to come out. I was walking back to the room with coffee when they wheeled your mom out and said that it was time. I dropped my coffee cup and ran after them, I must have run into about ten people and tripped twice on our way to the delivery room. And then your mom pushed and pushed and was holding my hand so tight I thought it would break. Then...you were there. Our baby girl, covered in disgusting stuff. The nurse had me cut the cord and then they handed you to me. That’s when my whole world changed, bub. You came into it and made it better.”

“Mhm. And how did you choose my name?” Mia asked, like she knew she was supposed to.

“Well, as you know, Mia is a name that’s been passed down through generations on Jida’s side of the family. My cousins had been fighting over who got to use it, but I was the first one to have a baby so I got to. It’s a little piece of our family that’s all yours.” Derek curled in closer to Mia, wrapping an arm around her waist. 

“Love you, Baba.” Mia mumbled, face pressed against Derek’s chest. 

“I love you too. So much.” Derek whispered, rubbing up and down her back. He didn’t ever fall back asleep, just laid there with his daughter and tried not to think about the fact that this was most likely going to be one of the last time he got to do this. Mia was a junior, after all, and she’d be off at Yale in the next couple years like they’d always planned. The thought filled him with mixed emotions. Excitement, that his daughter was going to be off living her dreams. Yale had been Mia’s goal since she was five years old. But also sadness. It had been just Mia and Derek for so long and even though Derek knew he’d always be Mia’s dad, not being there for every moment of her life was going to be a huge adjustment. He pushed the thoughts away and rested his chin on top of Mia’s head. He didn’t want to dwell on the future, he wanted to be present for his daughter’s birthday.

When it was finally time to actually get up, Derek got ready for the day quickly and set off for the diner with Mia. They were joined by Ford, who chattered away about how the school’s musical was going. The three of them went for the counter, dropping down into stools next to each other.

“You can’t sit there.” Will said, folding his arms across his chest. 

Derek blinked. “Uh, why not? Is it reserved?”

“No, but the stupid coffee cake I made and the stupid balloons I blew up are at that table.” Will pointed and Derek looked behind them. Sure enough, there were balloons tied to one of the chairs and a coffee cake laid out.

“Woah, thanks Will!” Mia led Ford over but Derek stayed at the counter, letting Mia hang out with her friend.

“Well, that was very nice of you.” Derek smiled at him, ignoring the way his heart had sped up slightly. 

“Yeah, well, I figured you weren’t cooking her a birthday breakfast. Someone had to.” Will grumbled, but he was smiling just a bit. “What’re you having?”

“Just coffee.” Derek bit down on his lip as Will filled his mug. “You’re coming to the party tomorrow, right?”

“Have I ever missed one of Mia’s birthdays before?” Will responded, placing a danish down in front of him. “Eat that.”

Derek rolled his eyes but took a bite of the pastry. “Just checking. It’s going to be a rager, Adam is letting me borrow the good speakers from the studio and he and Justin made a pretty great playlist. Plus Eric’s making enough cake and ice cream to feed an army. Did you get her a present?”

Will sighed. “Yes, I got her a present. And no, I’m not going to tell you what it is.” He glanced over at Mia, expression softening again. “How’re you handling it?”

“Handling what?”

Will shot him a look. “She’s growing up. Gonna be leaving soon. Not a baby anymore.”   
“Shut up. You’re the worst.” Derek reached out and smacked Will’s shoulder lightly. “But...I’m handling it. As well as I can, at least. I’m more worried about getting through tonight.”

“Right. Dinner with the parents, that sounds like fun.” Will snorted.

“I’m so excited to hear subtle comments about the future I threw away.” Derek rolled his eyes. “But...they’re here for Mia. They love her. Hopefully she’ll remain the focus.” 

Will nodded. “Well, you’ll have tomorrow at least. Apparently it’s going to be a rager.” He smiled at Derek slightly then went over to deal with new customers. Derek watched him go, feeling lighter than he had all week. He tried not to dwell on why that was and instead went to join Mia and Ford.

~~~

“Are you ready for this?” Mia asked as they pulled up in front of Derek’s moms’ condo. Derek looked over at her and sighed.

“Bub, I’m never ready to see them. But they love you and they’re good people.” Derek climbed out of the car and thanked the valet, handing over the keys. He draped his arm around Mia’s shoulders. “Plus the food is always amazing when we have dinner with them, I can’t lie.” He led Mia inside. “Floor 22. We’re here for Dr. Nurse and Amiira.” The elevator operator nodded and took them up to the twenty second floor. The elevator dinged and the doors opened right into the condo.

“Pen, they’re here!” Derek turned and smiled weakly as he saw his mom coming towards him. Amiira hugged Derek first, briefly, then turned her full attention to Mia. “Look at you, you’ve grown so much since last December. I’ve missed you.” She wrapped her arm around Mia’s shoulders and led her to the living room, Derek following behind them. 

“This is a nice place, Jida.” Mia told her, sitting down on the couch. Derek sat beside her, glancing around the condo. It was nice and very much matched his parents’ style. He lost track of the conversation, letting Amiira pester Mia with questions about school and her friends. He blinked when he heard his name.

“Uh, what? Sorry, Mom.” Derek looked over at her.

“I was just asking how the bookstore is. You still work there?” Amiira asked, taking a sip of her wine.

Derek bristled slightly. “I run it, actually. And we’re doing quite well.”

Just then, Derek’s other mother Penelope walked into the room. She hugged Mia tightly before going to sit down next to her wife. “Sorry I’m late, I had to take care of a few things. Mia, I want to hear all about school. How are you liking Andover?”

Drinks passed without incident, most of the his moms’ attention on Mia which made Derek relax slightly. They went into the dining room once dinner was ready and Derek focused on his food as his parents continued to talk to Mia. It was only when he heard a startingly piece of news that Derek’s head jerked up. 

“I’ve actually decided to open my own practice. And I’m going to be doing it here in Boston.” Penelope explained. “That’s the business I’m taking care of this weekend, I was looking at office space.”

“You’re moving here?” Derek interrupted, feeling as though a block of ice was settling in his stomach.

“That’s right. I’ll be going back and forth to New York, we’re keeping the house there, but we’ll be based here. That was part of your surprise. We’re going to be able to have dinner like this much more often.” Amiira smiled. “You know, Emily  just moved back to New York. She’s working at a new tech company, isn’t that exciting?” 

Derek swallowed hard at the mention of his ex girlfriend and looked back down. 

“Yeah. I mean, we haven’t heard from Mom in a while.” Mia replied, after a few moments of silence.    
“She’s such a talented woman, your mother. And so smart.” Penelope chimed in. “You must take after her.”

Derek’s face burned and he got to his feet. “I’m going to go grab a coke.” He said quietly, heading for the kitchen. He leaned against the counter and took a deep breath, trying to calm down. He looked up as he heard the door swing open and sighed. “What, Mom?” His voice came out snappier than he intended.

“Derek, come back to the table.” Amiira said calmly. “You’re overreacting.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you guys were moving here? Why’d you decide to just drop that bomb?” Derek demanded. He wiped his eyes angrily. “And why’d Mami have to bring up Emily?”

“We love Emily, you know that.” Amiira sighed. “We just want to make sure you’re not keeping Mia from her.”

“Keeping Mia from her?!” Derek lowered his voice, he didn’t want Mia to overhear. “Ma, are you forgetting what happened?” Because there was a second part to the story, a part that Derek didn’t whisper to Mia on the morning of her birthday. “Are you forgetting that Emily left the hospital as soon as she could and fucked off to California?” That was the part he never told Mia. That Emily disappeared as soon as she could after she was born, leaving Derek with a baby and no clue what he was doing. He never told Mia about the fights with Amiira and Penelope, the two of them insisting he go to college and leave Mia with them. He never told Mia about leaving in the middle of night, sneaking out under the cover of darkness with no idea where he was going except it was going to be far, far away from New York. He didn’t want Mia to ever feel at fault or feel unwanted. 

“Language.” Amiira said sternly. “Derek, she’s grown up since then. Maybe you two-” 

“Do not finish that sentence. Ma, she hasn’t grown up. It’s her kid’s birthday and she hasn’t even bothered to call. Just like last year and the year before that and the year before that. I used to text her, to remind her to call on holidays.” Derek stood up straighter. 

“She’s her mother. If the two of you had just gotten married-”

“Then I wouldn’t be living the life I am now and you know it. And my life is good, Ma.”

“And it’s far away from us. You took that baby and you shut us out of your life.” Amiira’s voice was raised again and Derek shook his head. “You only came back when you needed money from us.” Another secret, another thing kept from Mia. Months ago, when Mia started at Andover, financial aid didn’t come through. Derek had been forced to call his parents and ask for money, only doing it since it was for his daughter.

“I had to! Don’t you get that? I had to figure it out on my own, I had to be the one to raise her.” Derek swallowed hard. “Thank you for dinner, it was lovely. Mia and I are leaving now.” He walked out of the kitchen and placed a hand on Mia’s shoulder. “Mia, let’s go. It’s getting late.”

Mia got to his feet and hugged Penelope, then Amiira. “Thank you for dinner. We’ll see you guys soon.” She followed Derek to the elevator. “Baba?”

“Don’t worry about it, bub.” Derek replied, stepping inside once the elevator arrived. “Lobby, please.” The two of them were silent as the valet brought the car around and Derek got them on the highway headed for home.

“Baba, please talk to me. I’m not a little kid anymore, I can handle it. Jida brought up you and Mom again, didn’t she?” Mia turned to face him in her seat. “I hate when she does that.”

Derek sighed. “Mia...it’s not that they’re bad people. They just wanted different things for us. For me. And they don’t see how good our life is. They don’t understand it.” He looked over and smiled at Mia, reaching over to ruffle her hair. “How about we stop by Will’s? You can have some birthday pie tonight.”

“What, like there won’t be pie at the party tomorrow?” Mia’s eyes widened slightly as she realized what she said. “Shit.”

“Who told you?!” Derek looked over at Mia, expression horrified.

“Uh...it was Chris. He let it slip when I came into the bakery.” Mia admitted. “But it’s okay! I can still act surprised.” 

Derek sighed. “One day, I’m going to surprise you and no one in town will ruin it.” He returned his attention to the road. “You still have to go out with Ford tomorrow, so we can set everything up.”

“Alright, I can do that.” Mia settled into her seat. “Can we just go home though? I’d rather just hang out with you and watch a movie.”

Derek’s heart warmed and he nodded. “Of course. It’s your night. And I think we still have some of those pastries Bitty sent over. We can eat those and watch...Star Trek?”

“Yeah, sounds good. It’ll be weird watching without Will though, those are like our movies.”

Derek smiled and fell silent, already feeling much better after the confrontation with his mother. He took the exit for Samwell and drove to their house, parking out front. 

“Baba, did you leave the light on?” 

Derek looked up at the house as Mia spoke. He frowned and climbed out of the car. “Mia, bub, stay behind me when we go in.” He walked forward and stepped into the house, breath quickening as he saw the door was slightly open. He grabbed the closest thing that could be used as a weapon- an umbrella- and stepped forward into the entryway so he could hear. He heard rustling from just the other side and took a deep breath before lunging outward, bringing the umbrella down.

“What the fuck?!” Will jumped to his feet as the umbrella smacked his shoulder and glared at Derek. 

“What are you doing here?! I thought you were a burglar!” Derek waved the umbrella wildly as he spoke and Will grabbed it from him before he could do more damage.

“I came by to fix your banister.” Will set the umbrella down and rubbed his shoulder. “Who would break in here?”

“I don’t know!” Derek ran a hand through his hair. He whirled around as he heard muffled laughter and glared at Mia. “It’s not funny.”

“Yeah, sure. Ford just texted me, she wants to grab a late movie with Tony and Connor. Can I go?” 

“What happened to wanting to hang out with me?” Derek teased. “Text me when you get there and when you’re on your way home.” He tossed the car keys to Mia, who waved at the two of them before walking out the door.

“Sorry about scaring you. I just wanted to get this done before the party.” Will explained, returning his attention to his work and winced a little as he moved his shoulder.

Derek watched him for several seconds before sighing. “Get up.” He grabbed Will’s uninjured arm and dragged him over to the sofa. “Sit here and don’t move.” He went to the kitchen, returning moments later with a frozen bag of peas wrapped in a dish towel. “You’re icing that for at least twenty minutes, then you can go back to fixing the stairs.” He flopped down onto the couch beside Will after placing the peas on his shoulder. 

Will sighed and adjusted the makeshift ice pack slightly. “Thanks.” It was quiet for a few seconds, as Derek turned on the television and flicked through for something to watch. “So how was dinner with the parents? You guys are back early.”

Derek stiffened. “It was...eventful.” He settled on a rerun of Friends before looking over at Will. “My parents once again criticized my past choices and my way of life. Oh, and they’re moving to Boston which was just a really fun thing to hear.”

“Moving to Boston? Wow. So that’s…”

“Closer, yeah. Close enough that we’re going to have more dinners like that in the future.” Derek sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. “I just...it’s not that I don’t want my ex to be in Mia’s life. I do. I wish she was. But she’s not and they always bring it up like it’s my fault. And they act like I’m not doing enough for her and it just makes me feel like shit.”

There was silence and then Derek felt a hand patting his shoulder. He looked over and smiled slightly at Will, who looked painfully awkward trying to comfort him. “Look...you’re a great dad. And Mia’s a great kid. You’ve built something really good here and just because they don’t realize it doesn’t make it any less real.” He squeezed Derek’s shoulder before dropping his hand back to the couch. “And for what it’s worth, I’m really glad you moved here.” 

“Oh.” Derek swallowed hard. “Thanks, Will.” He fidgeted slightly, then nudged his elbow against Will’s arm. “When’d you get so in touch with your emotions?”

Will snorted. “Please.” He got to his feet and tossed the peas at Derek. “My shoulder’s fine, I’m going to finish up the banister.” 

Derek made an affronted noise and wrinkled his nose at Will. “Fine. Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”

Will gave him a look and then went back to his work. Derek got up after a few seconds and went to sit on the bottom step of the stairs. Will glanced at him. “You excited for the party tomorrow?”

“Oh, yeah. It’s going to be awesome. You know me, I’m great at birthdays.” Derek laughed.

“Yeah, I know. I think my favorite has got to be her eighth birthday, when you got into the fight with the clown?” Will grinned. “Or her fifth, when I made pancakes for all of the girls she invited and their dolls.”

“That one was a big hit. All the moms were obsessed with you. I had like four ask me for your number. And they were so disappointed when I told them you were gay.”

Will’s cheeks flushed. “You never told me that part.” He commented. 

“Didn’t seem relevant.” Derek shrugged. “But you were quite a hit.”

“I just wanted Mia to be happy.” Will mumbled, almost under his breath.

Derek’s heart clenched and he had to take a minute before responding. “I know. And she was. Ridiculously happy.” He fell silent as Will worked and just watched him.

“Alright, that should do it. Try not to fall into it again, okay? You need to be more careful on the stairs.” Will said, about ten minutes later. He started to pack up his tools and Derek got to his feet, holding out a hand to help Will up. 

“Will do. Thanks for doing that, by the way. You’re a rockstar.” Derek smiled. His hand lingered in Will’s and he swallowed hard. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Will nodded, staring at Derek with an intense expression. “Yeah. And if you need anything for the party, you know you can call me. You know I’m here for you.”

Derek nodded. They were so close together that if Derek wanted to, he could count Will’s freckles. “Yeah, I know.” He leaned forward just a little, heart thudding in his chest.

The front door suddenly opened and Derek nearly jumped away. “Hello?” He called out.

“Derek? Is Mia here?” Adam’s loud, not-really-a-whisper, carried through the house. Derek rolled his eyes and looked at Will, huffing out a laugh.

“No, come in. We’re in the living room.” Derek called back.

“We? Who’s we-” Adam stepped into the living room, his face immediately morphing into a grin. “Am I interrupting something?”

“Nah. Will was just fixing my latest accident, nothing new. What’re you doing here?” Derek stepped away from Will a little more.

“JUSTIN! SHE’S NOT HERE, BUT YOU WON’T BELIEVE WHO IS!” Adam bellowed, making both Derek and Will wince slightly. If anyone ever forgot that Adam was a performer, his volume would make them remember. 

“What? Who’s there?” Justin, Adam’s husband and manager of his studio, came walking in with a large speaker. His face turned into a grin to match Adam’s. “Hello, William. Fancy seeing you here.” 

“I’m just leaving.” Will picked up his toolbox and adjusted his hat slightly. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow.” He smiled at Derek a bit before turning and walking out the front door.

Derek watched him go, following him with his gaze out the door, before turning his attention to the two large men in his living room. He directed them upstairs with the speakers and karaoke machine, then entertained them for a few minutes before ushering them out the door. Derek had just gotten upstairs and changed into a pair of comfortable clothes, when his phone rang.

“Did it happen?! Are you guys together?!” Chris asked, before Derek even had a chance to say hello. Derek groaned and flopped back on the bed, wondering how the hell news spread so quickly and why he ever moved to this town.

~~~

The party did in fact turn out to be a rager. It seemed like everyone in town showed up and was crammed into the Nurse’s living room, spilling out onto their porch and front lawn. Fairy lights were strung up over the yard and along the porch, along with streamers. Inside, balloons covered the floor and more streamers were laid across the ceiling. Music played through the speakers, Justin and Adam’s birthday playlist. Mia sat at the center of the room, surrounded by her presents and leaning back against Derek’s legs where he sat on the couch. Ford, Tony, and Connor sat around her, all talking over each other. Eric walked around, passing out food and making his way around to where the Zimmermanns were seated every couple of minutes. Justin and Adam were in charge of the karaoke machine and were currently putting on a duet of You’re The One That I Want. Chris was also running around, helping Eric so Derek didn’t have to stress about making sure things were going smoothly. Even Kent had peeled himself away from his cat from the night, though he was showing pictures of Kit to anyone who he talked to. Lardo stood in one corner of the room, close to her sort of boyfriend Shitty, an ex lawyer who’d moved to Samwell to become a farmer. And Derek just…soaked it all in. His friends, his family, the community that had rallied around him and helped him raise Mia. He looked up as Eric brought the cake out and sang along with everyone else, Adam’s voice booming above them all. Once they were done, he got to his feet and grabbed his beer. 

  
“I just wanted to thank you all for being here tonight.” He began, a wide smile on his face. “We all know we’re here to celebrate the best thing in my life. My wonderful, smart, amazing daughter.” He raised his bottle up. “To Mia.” The rest of the room chimed in, everyone cheering. Derek looked up as the doorbell rang. “Who the hell’s ringing the doorbell? It’s a party, get your ass in here!” He turned and his stomach dropped. His moms stood there, looking out of place in their clothes that probably cost more than Derek’s car. “Or...asses.” He glanced at Mia.

“I invited them.” Mia explained quietly, then ran forward to greet them. “Jida! Abuelita! Come on, I want you to meet everyone.” She led the two women around the room, introducing them to everyone. Derek walked towards the kitchen, doing his best not to panic. 

“Derek! I was just going to- Der, what’s wrong?” Chris asked, setting down the pan he’d just pulled out of the oven. 

“Uh, my moms are here.” Derek explained, hands shaking slightly. 

“Oh. I...why are they here?”

“Mia invited them. They’ve...never been here before.” Derek rested his hands on the counter and leaned back, taking a deep breath. “I mean, they’ve visited but we always met in Boston. They’ve never been here before.”

Chris’ eyes widened. “Wow. That’s...big. Is Mia excited?”

“Through the roof.” Derek admitted. That helped him relax slightly. He knew Mia loved her grandmas and they loved her. They weren’t going to ruin her party with jabs at Derek. 

“Well, that’s good.” Chris smiled. “Uh, this might not be the best time to bring it up, but we’re out of ice.”

Derek sighed, of course they were. “Alright. I’ll run and grab some.” He smiled at Chris and went towards the front door. Just as he was grabbing his coat, Will walked in. In his hands were two bags of ice and Derek gasped.

“Dude!” Derek lunged forward and hugged Will tightly. After a moment, he felt Will hug him back. The bags of ice were cold against his legs but he didn’t care. “How did you know?”

“Well, you can never have too much ice.” Will’s voice was amused and Derek pulled away, hands resting against Will’s shoulders. 

“You’re the best, I can’t believe-” Derek turned and stopped. Amiira was staring at them from the doorway, an odd expression on her face. “Ma! Uh, this is my friend Will.” He patted Will’s chest then pulled away. “He brought ice.” 

Will nodded his head. “Nice to meet you, ma’am.” He greeted, all of his small town politeness coming out. Amiira nodded and Derek quickly led Will back to the kitchen, trying to brush aside the moment of awkwardness.

As the night progressed, Derek found himself back on the couch with their core group of friends surrounding them, all telling stories about Mia.

“Remember when she was eight and she started doing ballet? You could have been a star, if you hadn’t stopped!” Adam reached over and ruffled Mia’s hair.

“Adam, I stunk.” Mia protested, batting his hand away. She was sitting slightly closer to Ford than normal, Derek noted. He filed that away to question her about later and glanced over, noticing Amiira heading up the stairs. He got to his feet and followed her after a few seconds, pressing a kiss to Mia’s head.

Upstairs, he found Amiira in his room. He leaned against the doorframe, watching as she looked at the pictures he had around the room. “That’s from when Mia and I first moved in.” He said as she picked up one. She whirled around and smiled slightly at him. “We’d barely unpacked anything and we didn’t even have beds yet, we were sleeping in the living room on an air mattress. She was three. Will took that picture.”

“Will. The ice man.” Amiira set the picture down. “How long have you been seeing him?”

Derek shook his head. “No, we’re just...we’re just friends. Will’s just my friend, Mom.”

Amiira smiled at him and suddenly Derek was fourteen again, ready to crawl into bed with his moms and tell them about the cute boy he liked. “You’ve never been a good liar, habibi.”

“We really aren’t.” Derek smiled slightly. “He’s a friend. And he’s always been there for Mia. He’s family, really.”

Amiira nodded. “It’s...It’s quite a village you’ve set up down there. Good people. Colorful characters.”

“Yeah. They’re my people.” Derek replied quietly.

“I wanted to apologize, for dinner last night.” Amiira took a step towards him. “I don’t want to fight. Mami and I are going to be close now and we’d like a relationship with you two. We’re financially involved in your life, which I’m happy to keep doing. But I’d like to be actively involved in your life. Starting with a weekly dinner.”

Derek hesitated. Every instinct was telling him to say no. But he knew that Mia would be happy with the idea of seeing them more and ignoring this olive branch could shut them out of their lives for good. So he nodded. “Alright. Weekly dinner.”

Amiira brightened. “Do Fridays work?”

“Yeah. Fridays work.” Derek stuck his hands in his pockets, shifting awkwardly. 

“Well...wonderful. Good. I guess we’ll see you next Friday. We should get going.” Amiira stepped around Derek. 

Derek turned after a moment. “Hey, Ma? Thanks for coming tonight. It meant a lot. To Mia, I mean.”

Amiira nodded. “We’re happy to be here.” She stood there for a few moments, almost like she wanted to say something else, before turning and walking down the stairs. Derek gave it a few minutes before going back down and looking around for Mia. He walked out onto the porch and noticed her standing across the yard with Ford. He stared at them. From the angle he was at, it was almost like they were holding hands… He quickly looked away. Mia would tell him if anything was going on. He made his way back inside and looked in the living room. Will was sitting on the couch, an empty space beside him. Derek made his way over and flopped down into it, sighing dramatically.

Will looked down at him and raised an eyebrow, draping his arm across the back of the couch. “Your moms just left. How’re you feeling?”

Derek glanced at the arm, then back at Will’s face. “I’m good.” He replied quietly. “I’m really, really good.” He looked back over at the karaoke machine, laughing a little as Bob stood up and began a rousing rendition of I Wanna Dance With Somebody. He didn’t notice that Will’s eyes never left him, not for the rest of the night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter! Next update will be on Friday. Little teaser for y'all, it's not going to be from Derek's POV. Comments and kudos are always appreciated! My Tumblr is @shitttyknights if anyone ever wants to scream about OMGCP, Gilmore Girls, or anything else.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so here are my approximate equivalents for the characters (if you've watched Gilmore Girls, but the fic will make sense even if you haven't):
> 
> Derek- Lorelai  
> Will- Luke  
> Mia- Rory  
> Adam- Miss Patty/Morey  
> Justin- Babette  
> Eric and Lardo- Sookie  
> Jack and Shitty- Jackson  
> Bob- Taylor (but less obnoxious)  
> Kent- Kirk
> 
> Also- I AM LOOKING FOR A BETA. Message me on Tumblr (shitttyknights) if you are interested!


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